Gourmet Coffee Beans

Legend has it that 90% of the world’s coffee can be traced to a simple act of theft. The Dutch were the first to bring coffee to the new world and cultivate it commercially. The mayor of Amsterdam in 1714 sent Louis XIV of France a coffee tree. About nine years later a young naval officer, Gabriel Mathieu de Clieu stole a seedling from this tree and brought it to his home in the Caribbean. De Clieu took special care of the seeding despite the harsh voyage. He planted it in Martinique and 50 years later there were more than 19 million coffee trees on the island.

It is believed that that all of the trees in the West Indies came from this single seeding. Missionaries, traders and colonists tooks seedings to other islands and throughout Latin America. Coffee became one of the New World’s most profitable crops by the end of the eightenth century. This one seeding is responsible for the existence of coffee farming in the New World.

Italians first brought coffee to Europe. The first shipment came from Turkey to Venice in 1615. Coffee houses had opened in the major European cities of Paris, Marseilles, Oxford, London, Venice and Exeter by the mid-seventeenth century.

The Coffee shops of Europe became platforms for intellectual discussions and had a nickname, “penny universities” which was the price to enter. Women were not allowd in English coffee houses and were exclusively for women.

The coffee house that was frequented became associated with a man’s politics. At the height of the coffee house popularity in London, they were denounced as places for treasonous activities. So much so that King Charles II attempted to ban them but it was reversed due to popular demand.

Hawaii is the only state where coffee is grown in the USA. There are 6,500 acres of coffee on Hawaii’s five major islands that produce 7 million coffee beans. The largest producer is Kauai and the most famous is Kona.

The trees arrived in 1825 after the Governor of Oahu, Chief Boki, acquired them in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

I believe humans get a lot done, not because we’re
smart, but because we have thumbs so we can make
coffee.

-Flash Rosenberg

The French Colony on the Isle of Bourbon in the Indian Ocean in 1723 was so concerned for its coffee trees that in it enacted the death penallty for anyone who destroyed any of their precious plants.

Hawaii maybe the only state that grows coffee but the comonwealth of Puerto Rico should not be forgotten. Their production is much more limited and the majority is consumed on the island leaving little to export.

During a cruise last year I picked up a bag of roasted beans at a supermarket in San Juan. They were not the freshest sitting in a large uncovered wooden barrel. The taste is flavorful but much harsher than neighboring Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee. Still if you get a chance to sample it it is worth the while.

The world famous Lloyd’s of London started in 1688 as Edward Lloyd’s Coffee House. Mr. Lloyd’s coffeehouse attracted ship owners, merchants and captains because he provided reliable shipping information.

The most famous insurance loss was The Titanic which sank on April 16, 1912.

To produce one pound of roasted coffee beans about 2,000 hand-picked coffee cherries are needed. There are two beans per cherry. A coffee picker harvests about 150 pounds of coffee cherries or about 30 pounds of roasted beans per day.

Hurricane season is around the corner. As you gather your supplies add a coffee press to the list. Without electricity your coffee maker is out of commission but you can still boil water on your propane grill and brew your coffee in the press.

The other dilema is you need to plan and grind your beans before the storm arrives unless if you have a generator.

Canadians love coffee. They drink over 15 billion cups of coffee each year making it their best loved hot beverage. Sixty-one percent drink coffee once per month and most is consumed at home. Senior citizens drink the most, 88% drink it once per week compared to 61% for the general population.

Volcanica Coffee ships to Canada using the USPS which does not charge for importation fees.